


Accidental Magic

by woodelf



Series: The Floofy!verse [16]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Winnie-the-Pooh and friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:35:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27036565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodelf/pseuds/woodelf
Summary: A future fic in the Floofy!verse. Five year old Jenny Gold gets her birthday wish.
Relationships: Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
Series: The Floofy!verse [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1836043
Kudos: 18





	Accidental Magic

There was a small grey donkey in Rumpelstiltskin’s garden. It looked vaguely familiar. 

“Don’t mind me,” it said in a gloomy tone of voice. “Most people don’t.”

“Um…” For once Rumpelstiltskin was temporarily lost for words.

“Do you happen to know if there are any thistles around here?” The donkey looked around wistfully.

“There…there might be some in that weedy bit along the back fence.” Rumpelstiltskin pointed weakly to a strip where Belle had declared anything could grow which wanted to grow. Which meant that thistles, dandelions, clover, and other wildflowers which some people might call weeds flourished there amongst the tall grass. A decorative brick path had been laid in the hopes of separating them from the main lawn. It hadn’t worked, but he supposed it had at least slowed down a full takeover. 

“Much obliged.” The grey donkey ambled towards the back of the yard. 

He tried to see if its tail was tacked on.

“Comin’ through!”

Rumpelstiltskin hastily sidestepped as something orange and black and stripey hurtled past him as he stood in the open doorway, brushing against his pant leg and bounding into the backyard.

“Tigger, wait!” 

Henry dashed past him.

Rumpelstiltskin watched with interest as Eeyore glanced back and hastily stepped sideways. Tigger tried to veer but went skidding into the back border instead, coming up against the wooden fence with a thud.

Henry came to a breathless halt and leaned over, trying to pick Tigger up. But while he was on the smallish side for a tiger, he was still as big as an extremely large house cat, and when he squirmed in Henry’s arms, the boy let him go. Tigger crouched in front of him, hind end wriggling in anticipation.

“Don’t you dare try to bounce me!” Henry warned. “It’s not nice.”

Rumpelstiltskin froze Tigger in place with a gesture. While his 18 year-old grandson probably wasn’t in any danger, he thought it best not to have to worry about what an overenthusiastic, overgrown soft toy might do until he had sorted things out.

“Thanks,” said Henry. Eeyore came over and looked thoughtfully at Tigger, cocking his head. 

“How did you do that?”

“My Grandpa did it,” said Henry. “He’s okay, he’s just frozen for the moment.”

“Useful trick,” commented Eeyore. “Tigger needs stopping sometimes. I don’t suppose he could teach it to me?”

“No, probably not.”

“Pity.” Eeyore went back to his thistles.

“Henry! What is going on?” demanded Rumpelstiltskin. 

“It’s Jenny,” explained Henry. “She –”

“Hi, Daddy!” said a cheerful voice from behind them in the house. 

Rumpelstiltskin turned to behold his Jenny, all of 5 years old (as of today), her dark brown hair in two ponytails, standing there holding the paw of a fawn-coloured teddy bear. This was not unusual except for the fact that the bear (rather less tubby than shown in illustrations due to having been flattened by frequent hugging) was standing on his own two feet and looking back at him. Also there was a small pink piglet peering out from behind its leg instead of being carried as was usual. 

“Hello, Jenny. Hello, Pooh. Hello, Piglet.” Rumpelstiltskin said, with the aplomb of a man who has learned to deal with unexpected situations.

Piglet squeaked and drew back further.

“Hullo,” said Pooh, in a friendly fashion. “I know you. You’re Jenny’s father.”

“That’s right,” agreed Rumpelstiltskin, fighting back a smile.

“The great and powerful wizard Rumpelstiltskin!” squeaked Piglet. 

“Piglet,” Rumpelstiltskin said. “I know what it’s like to feel small and afraid. But am I not also the very ordinary man who tucks his daughter in at night with a bedtime story and lets her sit you all on the kitchen table while she eats?”

“Well, yes,” Piglet admitted, coming out from behind Jenny’s leg. 

“That’s better. Now, Jeannette my darling, what _did_ you do?” He knelt down to be at her level and look straight into her blue eyes.

“I made a wish.”

“For your toys to come to life, obviously,” said Rumpelstiltskin. “Or –” He noted the lack of a dappled grey rocking horse cantering around the garden, or dolls clamouring for a real tea party. “Just some of them?”

“The stuffed animals,” said Henry. “I’ve got her bedroom door shut on the rest of them. Although maybe we should let the lion out to play with Tigger?”

“Or maybe we shouldn’t,” decided Rumpelstiltskin firmly. Kenya the lion was as big as Jenny was, and the animals seemed to have grown when they’d come to life. Not as big as their real life counterparts, but if Kenya doubled or tripled in size, he’d be a match for a young lion in real life, if rather floppier and possessed of a happy smile on his face. “No one’s trying to eat anyone else, are they?” He could well imagine the guinea pig or the various coloured Easter bunnies appealing to a hungry lion. 

“No. Not at least while I was there. How about Bingo?” Bingo was a blue and white dog that had been busy sniffing over every inch of the room when Henry had left it.

“Henry,” said Rumpelstiltskin, levelling him with an amused glare. “Do you _want_ to let more animals out of her room?”

“Well, maybe. One or two,” said Henry sheepishly. “Not the dragon. He might fly over the fence.”

For all that he was going to graduate high school in June, Henry could still look like a mischievous little kid sometimes. Rumpelstiltskin was glad that Emma and Neal had agreed that Henry could take a year off before college; he wasn’t ready to see him off to the outside world just yet, especially since Henry was great with Jenny and definitely her favourite babysitter. They were already planning to take a road trip during Henry’s year off with the ultimate destination of Disneyworld, and Neal had suggested he and Belle and Jenny could meet up with them once they got to Florida. 

How did you wish, sweetheart? Did you wish on anything?”

She nodded, uncertain as to whether she was in trouble or not. “A birthday candle.”

“You didn’t light it, did you?” he demanded at once, panic rising at the thought of her holding a lit candle, of something besides a wick catching on fire. He remembered Belle leaving the packet of candles out on the kitchen counter when she’d returned home from the store yesterday with cake mix and ice cream and other supplies for the party later today.

“No! I just wanted to practice.”

“Okay.” Rumpelstiltskin relaxed. “Remember, no lighting fires with anything until Mommy and Daddy say you’re old enough. Fire can be dangerous, and it burns just as much as it looks pretty.”

“I won’t. Promise.” Jenny fidgeted, starting to feel uncomfortable under her father’s gaze. She hadn’t _expected_ anything to happen, she’d just wanted to think of a good wish for later when her cake was lit.

“So, then, what _did_ you do? Tell me _exactly_.”

“The sun was rising, an’ I held up my candle so it looked like the sun was lighting it, an’ I wished that my animals could come to life and play with me.”

The rising sun on May Day, the fire feast of Beltane? he wondered. Would that be enough combined with the magic that existed in Storybrooke? Wished by a child born on that day?

The sound of thumping interrupted them, and they looked sideways to see two kangaroos hopping across the wooden floor towards the still open back door. 

“I want to play outside, Mama!” The smaller one exclaimed. 

“Go ahead, dear,” Kanga told Roo. “I’m right behind you.”

Figuring that Kanga could tell Tigger to behave (and inwardly marveling at that thought), Rumpelstiltskin released the tiger from stasis with a small wave of his hand. Tigger looked disconcerted for a moment, then sat up and began washing himself as if that was what he had intended all along. 

“Daddy, can I go play?” Jenny edged towards the door, and Rumpelstiltskin nodded. 

“Run along and have fun. And stay in the yard.”

Pooh’s tummy chose this moment to rumble. “I don’t suppose,” he asked hopefully, “That a little smackerel of something might be arranged?”

Rumpelstiltskin wondered what the hell would happen to food in the stomach of a bear when and if he returned to his stuffed state. Then again, Eeyore was already full of thistles, so he supposed Pooh might as well have something too. 

“I might be able to find some cookies,” he offered, and Jenny brightened.

“The sugar wafers!” she exclaimed. “I like the pink ones best,” she confided to Pooh as she led him and Piglet outdoors. “But there’s also choc’late and vanilla.”

“What do you think happened?’ asked Henry, looking after them.

“I _think_ that she performed a piece of accidental magic which I’m hoping will only last for this one day. Either wearing off at sunset or at least before the sun rises tomorrow.”

“And if it doesn’t?” Henry asked pragmatically.

“Stock up on honey?” Rumpelstiltskin suggested wryly. “I’ll figure something out.” A sudden scream and clatter of a dropped dish sent them sprinting for the kitchen.

Rumpelstiltskin thought over the animals he’d seen. Jenny didn’t have a Rabbit (the yellow plush Easter bunny stood in well enough if needed) or an Owl. “Who’s missing?”

“Lumpy!” exclaimed Henry as they burst through the kitchen door.

Belle was backed up into the angle formed by the kitchen cabinets near the sink. A lavender heffalump had backed up in the other direction and looked equally startled. An unharmed melmac plate (having a child changed some things) did one last slow, rattling spin, and settled on the floor. 

“Rumpel!” Belle squealed, pointing with a wooden spoon. “It’s…it’s…”

“It’s Lumpy, sweetheart, you know Lumpy. Henry, why don’t you take him and go join the others in the yard?”

“Okay,” said Henry cheerfully. “Come on, Lumpy.”

The heffalump carefully picked up the plate with his trunk and held it up to Belle. “I’m sorry if I startled you,” he said politely.

“Thank you.” She took the plate from him. “I’m sorry I screamed. And startled _you.”_

“That’s all right, then.” Lumpy smiled and trundled off happily in Henry’s wake.

Belle turned to her husband. “What…?” She gestured expressively. “What is going on?”

“Jenny wished her toys to life,” Rumpelstiltskin replied blandly, fighting back a grin. “And Pooh is feeling rumbly in the tumbly. Wafer cookies have been requested.”

“Not honey?” Belle raised an eyebrow skeptically. 

“Crumbs are much easier to brush out of someone’s fur than honey,” said Rumpelstiltskin darkly. “They can have cookies and be glad of them.” He pulled a brand new package of the cream-filled wafer cookies out of the pantry. 

“Wait… _Jenny_ wished her toys alive? You didn’t enchant them as a birthday present for her?” Belle paled. “How…?”

“I think it was a fluke. A Beltane child, wishing on a birthday candle as the sun rose on her birthday. She accidentally tapped into the magic of this world, enhanced by the magic that I released into Storybrooke. I think this land _does_ have magic, or it once did. Else why all the wishing on candles and falling stars and coins tossed into wells? There has to be a reason people once believed those wishes could come true. And all the superstitions, and stories of magical creatures like dragons and fairies? Magic was once known here, I think, and…faded, possibly, with the coming of electricity, and the covering of the land with concrete and buildings. But I think in certain places, and at certain times, it can still be tapped into, especially by someone who believes in it.”

“Like Jenny,” said Belle, and Rumpelstiltskin nodded. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment. “Well, I know I’m not leaving birthday candles out where she can reach them anymore. Do you think her wish on her cake will come true as well?”

“By all the rules of magic, a person should only get one birthday wish a year, so no, she’s already used hers up for this year.”

“Is it permanent?”

“My instincts say no, it will only last out the day. If it doesn’t fade, I’m sure that I can find a way to disenchant them.”

“Okay. Well, then.” She sought refuge in his arms briefly, laying her head on his shoulder and sighing as his hand rubbed soothingly over her back. “No harm done, I guess.”

“Only to your thistles,” Rumpelstiltskin smirked. “Eeyore’s lunching on them.”

Belle giggled. “He’s welcome to them.”

“Although – ” Rumpelstiltskin glanced upward for a moment. “Hang on,” he said, and went to the foot of the stairs, listening hard for sounds from Jenny’s room, remembering the other animals up there. It was quiet. Quiet was good. Maybe they were all sleeping? If they’d been alive since dawn, Jenny must have spent the morning in her room playing with them. Deciding to leave well enough alone, he turned and found Belle had followed him.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Her other animals. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t hear any sounds of destruction going on upstairs.”

“Oh! All of them?” Belle thought this over and decided she couldn’t deal with any more animals than those who were currently in their backyard, and who at least could talk, and respond to reason. She went to a window and glanced out, seeing Jenny and Lumpy swinging a jumprope for Roo, with Tigger waiting for his turn. Pooh was climbing experimentally onto a swing. 

“Shall we join them?” asked Rumpelstiltskin with a grin.

“I really should be making her cake, but yes!” Belle laughed. “I want to meet the rest of them, the cake can wait. Just let me get the camera, I’m not going to miss this opportunity for the world.”

The next hour had been filled with fun, until Belle had insisted she really must get the cake started, and lunch as well. Henry had gone home afterwards when Jenny had lain down for a nap (at which point they’d discovered that the other animals left alone in her room had already reverted to their stuffed selves – Rumpelstiltskin guessed that it had something to do with Pooh and the others being storybook characters), but he’d returned for supper with his parents and two year-old Ian, whose eyes went round as saucers when Jenny bounced over to say hello with Pooh by her side.

“Okay, this is weird,” said Emma.

“But sort of a cool weird?” suggested Neal, looking fascinated. “It’s nice to have magic that isn’t associated with bad things for a change. Hey, little sis! Happy birthday!” He held his arms out for Jenny and swooped her up into the air when she reached up for him. “Ugh, you’re getting too big to do this.” But he grinned at her as she wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed her on the nose. “Are you going to be the next wizard in this family, young lady?”

“Maybe,” she said cheerfully. 

Neal embraced the whole situation with delight and took charge of the camera for a whole new round of picture-taking. The kitchen had been transformed with balloons and crepe paper and a pile of shiny presents waiting to opened, while the cake sat tantalisingly on the side counter, bedecked with enough pink sugar roses that everyone would be able to have one. The Hundred Acre Wood animals had been set up at the child-sized table in the corner of the room, where it was discovered that Tiggers liked hot dogs and pickles just as much as they did Roo’s strengthening medicine and Pooh had to be told not to stick his paw directly into the bowl of chip dip and everyone had pink lemonade which was, Piglet informed them excitedly, his favourite colour. Eeyore actually looked happy as he clamped a party horn between his teeth and blew it, watching in pleasure as the paper tube unrolled and curled up again. Kanga smiled fondly as Roo snatched up his own horn and joined in, Lumpy adding to the noise simply by trumpeting through his trunk. When it was time for the cake, everyone gathered around Jenny at the big table as the candles were lit and the room was darkened and she made a wish (just in case there was any magic left) and blew them out. The party grew ever more festive as cake and ice cream was consumed and presents opened, but finally wound down as Ian began to grow fussy. He had been wonderfully behaved up until then, completely enchanted by Pooh and the other animals, and had stayed as close as possible to them until he had been strapped into his booster chair. 

“All right, squirt.” Henry picked up his little brother, wishing not for the first time that he didn’t have to leave Storybrooke if he wanted to go to college. On the one hand, he looked forward to going out into the wider world and meeting new people, but on the other hand, he didn’t want to miss out on any of Ian’s childhood. He’d just have to come home for visits as often as possible. That was the first thing they were planning to do on their road trip – stop at a couple of the colleges that he’d applied to and check out their campuses. Bowdoin was his first choice, for the warm and homey look of the campus as much as the academic side, but the University of Maine in Augusta was a possibility too; both were within a reasonable traveling distance. 

“Are you tired?” he murmured. “It was an exciting party, wasn’t it?” Ian nodded and made a sound of agreement, tucking his head under Henry’s chin, his eyes half closing. Henry kissed the cap of dark brown hair and gently rocked in place while Neal and Emma gathered their things and the four of them said their goodbyes and left. 

When Rumpelstiltskin and Belle tucked Jenny into bed after her bath, the Hundred Acre Wood animals had still been very much alive if rather sleepy and yawning, snuggling down contentedly next to her. But when they glanced in as they headed for their own bed a couple of hours later, Rumpelstiltskin caught the hint of movement, like somebody stretching, and then suddenly something grey and donkey-shaped was tumbling off the side of the bed. Rumpelstiltskin moved forward quickly, then paused as he saw the unmoving figure on the bedside rug. 

“Time’s up, eh?” He bent and gently picked Eeyore up, glancing at the clock as he did so. Just past midnight. He held him for a moment, head bent, the faint glow of the nightlight silhouetting his form in the dark room. 

Watching from the doorway, Belle suddenly became aware of the weight of the forgotten camera in her pocket and pulled it out. She snapped a picture just as Rumpelstiltskin pressed a kiss to Eeyore’s soft fur. Rumpelstiltskin turned his head at the soft click from the shutter, but the light was coming from behind Belle and she lowered the camera quickly, turning her hand to hide it as she slipped it back into her pocket.

“Spell’s worn off?” she whispered, although it was obvious that it had. She knew Rumpelstiltskin didn’t like having his picture taken that much, unless it was with another member of his family. Especially if the picture showed off his softer side.

Apparently dismissing the sound that he’d thought he heard, Rumpelstiltskin tucked Eeyore back under the edge of the blanket, careful not to disturb Jenny, and rejoined Belle in the hallway, resting his hand on her waist as they continued on to their room. “Yes, and I can’t say that I’m not glad. They were perfectly nice party guests, but I wouldn’t want them around forever.”

Belle chuckled. “It was like having a bunch of extra children to look after, wasn’t it?” She picked up her nightgown. “I’m going to go wash up.”

In the bathroom, she took out the camera and looked at the picture she’d snapped, admiring it. Not only did she love the moment of tenderness it had captured, but she appreciated the similarity of the two subjects. Eeyore and Rumpel were both loners by nature, thinking that no one did or could care about them. She hoped that both of them by now had learned that they were loved very much indeed. But looking at the picture, she questioned her first thought, that it would make a lovely final photograph in the album she was planning to compile of this day – goodness knows they had taken enough photographs! But …she’d focused on Rumpel, Jenny wasn’t really in it at all. The photo album should be about her, and her very special birthday.

Maybe this picture, she thought with a fond smile, maybe this picture she would keep for herself.


End file.
